Yorkshire lost their way on the pitch as well as off it as Sean Ervine's quickfire hundred hastened Hampshire to a landslide eight-wicket victory in the C&G Trophy semi-final at the Rose Bowl.

The visitors' late arrival caused a 15-minute delay to the start of this high-profile match.

And when they did complete a journey full of hassle from a Roses clash at Old Trafford last night and their team hotel this morning, they must soon have been hoping they could start the whole sorry escapade all over again.

The upshot was an uncertain stutter to a below-par 197 for nine and then a helpless 39.5 overs in the field as Ervine and opener Nic Pothas ensured Hampshire's canter into their first Lord's final since 1992.

Former Zimbabwe all-rounder Ervine, 22, has a broad bat when in form and, after some careful reconnaissance in pursuit of the Yorkshire target, he plundered 12 fours and a six in his 99-ball innings.

He eventually fell to a tame caught-and-bowled by off-spinner Richard Dawson for exactly 100, having achieved a level of dominance which put Yorkshire's innings into perspective.

Hampshire will meet Warwickshire in the final, after their victory over Lancashire in the other semi-final.

And Warwickshire skipper Nick Knight thanked lower-order batting heroes Michael Powell and man-of-the-match Tony Frost after they led his side to their first C&G Trophy final in five years.

The eighth-wicket pair put on an unbroken 81 in the last 13 overs and a score of 236 for seven was big enough to put pressure on Lancashire's batsmen and ultimately bowl them out for 137.

Knight, delighted with an unexpectedly large winning margin of 99 runs at Edgbaston, said: "The partnership at the end was absolutely crucial.

"Initially we thought 230 would be a decent score, 240 good and 250 very good, but if we had been below 200 Lancashire would have chased that total down. So credit to Powell and Frost for the way they batted.

"Building partnerships builds pressure. Ntini bowled well, as he has done since he arrived here, and Brown bowled good lengths. Their tight opening made a big difference."

For Knight himself, a trip to Lord's for a final against Hampshire on September 3 will put the seal on two years as captain before he stands down at the end of the season.